All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta Governorship candidate and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege Thursday unveiled at the APC Campaign Organisation’s office, on Summit Road, Asaba his agenda for the State if elected governor in the 2023 elections.
Called EDGE, the manifesto, which he called a product of profound thought based on his practical experience both in the Executive and Legislative arms of government, Omo-Agege described as unacceptable the records of the Debt Management Office (DMO),that shows Delta State as having the second-highest debt portfolio in the country. He said: “Ours is, therefore, a movement to restore and revive a State that had been misgoverned and rapaciously pillaged by those whom we had entrusted with leadership.”
He said that the 60-Page Manifesto anchored on the EDGE to Build a New
Delta (BAND). “EDGE covers critical areas of governance that would drive our agenda when elected governor in 2023,” the opposition party governorship candidate said.
Disclosing the full meaning and intention of EDGE Senator Omo-Agege said: “The manifesto is our Vision and Mission; It captures our EDGE Agenda which breaks down as: E for Employment and Empowerment; D for Development (Economic, Infrastructural and Industrial); G for Good Governance, and E for Enduring Peace and Security.
“The EDGE agenda sums up our people’s hopes and aspirations for economic stability, sustainable employment, security, access to modern public infrastructure, solid institutions, and a clean environment. It is strategically organized to make ours a model state and a leading centre of excellence. With EDGE, we bring credibility, efficiency and trust back to governance. It is the ultimate paradigm shift to reform our public service, cut the cost of governance, eliminate waste, and deny corruption and other crimes comfort and safety in our governance architecture. EDGE agenda is our firm promise and its success is non-negotiable
“Ladies and gentlemen, our vision for a New Delta is driven by the desire to arrest receding hope among Deltans and build a State where the people’s future is brighter than their past. We are aware that our people are seriously worried about the unemployment indices, which are heading skywards as evidenced by the high percentage of our youths roaming the streets for jobs that do not exist, but certainly can be created if we have a government that fosters the right synergy with the private sector to boost employment.
“I will address our scary unemployment rate by giving priority to public investment in agriculture and tech-driven entrepreneurship. My plan as stated in our manifesto will change the commercial ecosystem of the State and create an investment-friendly charter that makes access to funds and infrastructure a natural way of life. Human capital development, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, housing and other labour-intensive interventions will be at the core of our agenda.
“We shall establish a Delta State Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (DEEP), and facilitate the establishment of cluster industries in each of the twenty-five Local Government Areas of our State. We will deliberately create an enabling environment for industries and manufacturing; establish tech hubs, set up small business loan guarantee schemes, promote skills acquisition and set up a Career Development Centre for Deltans.
“As part of our plans to promote ease of doing business, we will undertake institutional and process reviews, remove red tape and bureaucratic bottlenecks, improve infrastructure, and re-engineer our peace and security strategies while establishing a one-stop repository of business knowledge and information. We will guarantee the rights of women and invest their unique energy to drive social and economic development in the state. We will initiate a youth development programmme that moves them away from the hopelessness of today, connect them to creative endeavours and generate energy for honourable work.
“We will make aggressive investments in modern infrastructure capable of opening up the total economic energies of our people, we will lift the State out of a mono-economic dependency by launching diversification into tech and business incubation. We are deeply committed to the cause of changing the current development path of our State. However, we cannot do it without the support and cooperation of our people.
“Democracy and development thrive on a watchful and active citizenry who should hold us accountable every step of the way,” Omo-Agege declared.
Below is full text of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s press conference:
